Nutrition Coaching is one of my favorite things to do. Opening the eyes of someone to new possibilities with food in order to achieve better health is rewarding. BUT so very few really want to change their current state of being. Whether that state is overweight, emotional eating, obesity, or health complicated by eating. That last one might need some explaining. Arthritis, fibromyalgia, diabetes, thyroid issues, joint pain, bloating, retaining water, irritable bowel syndrome can often be helped if not alleviated with proper food choices. Now who wouldn't want that?
Actually wanting isn't the biggest challenge. It's wanting it enough to change your mind and then your actions.
“Let food be thy medicine, and let medicine be thy food.” This famous quote is often attributed to Hippocrates.
Too often we think of food as just a way to feed our hungry stomach. Food does do that. It also does so much more.
I am allergic to cats. In fact cats can send me to the hospital. So I avoid cats. What if the same were true of foods you eat? What if you knew eating them was harming yourself, would you still eat them? Of course many of us would say no. But ask a diabetic right before they eat a slice of cake if they should be eating that. I have heard it as they take a bite, "I'll just take more insulin." Does that work? Yes, Its similar to me petting a cat and then using my inhaler or epi-pen.
What about if you just want to lose a few pounds? What do you need to do? Most of us will answer correctly by saying you should eat good, don't over eat, and avoid desserts. And then we don't follow our own advice. Add in a few excuses and before you know it you've rationalized what you are eating. In essence you are using insulin, an inhaler, or your epi-pen in order to keep on doing what you want to do.
Here is what I see/hear from people just like you:
- You know a lot of the right things in order to eat healthy.
- You are doing many of the right things to eat healthy.
- Your mind is wanting to help you but not make it impossible or frustrating.
- There is also a side that is allowing you to make an excuse or rationalize eating.
That is totally normal.
Here is what I would suggest. Pick one of the following areas and conquer it for two weeks. After the two weeks it should feel solid and doable. It's like school. You've got to tackle one concept before moving onto the next one. You also want to pick the one that feels easiest. For the same reason. At school you don't start with the hardest thing you start with one you feel is easy or maybe review. Do that one..... Ace it or a solid B+ then move to the next one. Think of them as chapters in your text book but you get to put the chapters in an order that makes sense to you in your life.
*No snacking. No means no, like eat three meals a day and be happy with the 3 meals. If you know a meal includes dessert eat it within 10-20 minutes of the meal itself.
Enter
*Drink 100 ounces of water a day. That could include tea/coffee/seltzer as long as they are zero calories.
*Eat Protein, produce and drink water at each meal. This leaves you the option to have more or less meals than the typical three. It does limit you to no adding of other foods.
*no eating after 7pm. (or you could say three hours before you go to bed you'll stop eating)
*No Breads or pasta of any kind. That means no gluten free breads or bean pastas- no means no. Of course you can eat
vegetable fettucine, cauliflower rice, or spaghetti squash. You can find a ton of recipes including cauliflower rice and mashed cauliflower by
clicking here.
* sweets once a week. Fruits yes but no sugary sweets. So an ice cream once a week as long as there weren't brownies earlier in the week.
There are other items I could give you. In reality eating more veggies along with a healthy protein at each meal is what you are aiming for. Avoiding extras or drastically reducing them is best. Which means you'll still need to plan a bit. Looking ahead into each week to see where a treat might be added and where others are tempting you.
Healthy eating is a process. A process worth tackling. The rewards are endless. Less pain, weight loss, more energy, feeling of accomplishment, success, maybe less medicine, and an overall healthy glow makes eating food to fill your belly as well as nourish your body priceless.
Eat good food,
Coach Nancy
